Improvement in water-meters



UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

THOMAS B. FOGARTY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-METERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. lll-,624, dated` February '7, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B.FOGARTY, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Meters; and I do hereby declare that the lfollowin g is a description thereof, and of the mannerin which I prefer to carry-it out in practice, which is as full, clear, and exact as I am able to give, reference being had to the drawing hereto annexed, which forms a part of this specication. p

My invention relates to that class of meters in which the amount of water or other liquid is estimated by actual displacement or measurement.

The water or other liquid to be measured is admitted alternately to the opposite ends of a piston workin g tightly within a cylinder or analogous inclosing-case, or to opposite sides of a ilexible diaphragm, which may be made to perform in some degree the same functions.

In ordinary sin gle-piston meters the iiow of liquid is irregular and intermittent. My improvement remedies this defect, and is a cheap and desirable machine, delivering the water either rapidly or slowly, measured exactly, and without sensible intermission.

Bot-h the gures represent central vertical sections. In Figure l the piston is just completing its movement to the right. In Fig. 2

it has completed its movement to the right and commenced to move to the left.

Similar letters of referenceindicate like parts in both the figures.

A is the cylinder, and B a long hollow piston, open on the upper side along the middle, and driven backward and forward within the cylinder by the action of the liquid. C C are two compartments formed on the top by the intervention of the partition D. E is the valve. Fx F2 are the ports, which are opened and closed alternately by the movements of the valve E, which are very rapid and certain. Through these ports the liquid enters and leaves alternately opposite ends of the cylinder, or, in other words, the chambers into which the cyly inder-is divided by the piston B.

I employ a peculiar mode of connecting the piston and the valve, and a mode of operating the latter so as to secure a steady and uniform iiow of the liquid.

The'cause of the intermittent delivery of the This defect I remso constructing the valve and its connections` that the ports-will be fully open untilthe very `instant of changing, when the'valve crosses the ports with .a Arapidsnap movement, so that it gives theflow. of liquid no more obstruction fthan would be caused by drawing a knife-blade' across the ports.

On reference to the drawing it will be seen that the long arm, H1, of a bent lever extends down into the cylinder from the upper cham. ber, O, where it turns upon a center or shaft supported in the fixed framing or bracket A in such a mannerthat 'is short arm, H2, engages in a notch in the -lever K, which latter has a bearing in the same bracket. Now, the arm H1 has its lower end forked, so as to straddle the screw B in or near the axial line from end to end of the pston5-and as the piston moves backward and forward the nuts b b engage the ends of the armsII1 near the end of each stroke, leaving it untouched during all of the early part of the stroke. When struck it turns the entire lever H1 H2, and by thus turning its shortarm, H1, is elevated or depressed so as to communicate a larger motion to the bent leverK. This lever K performs the important duty of moving the valve, and it effects this by a very rapid movement, however slowly the piston may be moving.

The long armof this lever K is connected to the opposite end of the bracket A by the springs N, which exert a contractile force, and its short arm is inserted into a slot in an extended end of the valve E 5 but the slot is made so long that the ends of the lever can move backward and forward some distance therein before it strikes the end of the slot.

In Fig. 1 the spring is in a middle position, which itnever occupies except for an extremely short period while snapping occurs, from one position to the other. In this position it exerts no iniuence either way; but as soon as the long end of the lever K is elevated or depressed, so as to carry the spring either above or below the center upon which K works, the contractile force ot' the springs acts upon the ,.lever, and causes its long arm to be thrown up or down with a rapid snap movement, so that its short arm will suddenly strike the valve at either end of the slot, and, with a quick tappet movement, throw it suddenly across the ports, so as not to interrupt the flow of liquid.

I connect the chamber C with the middle port, F, which serves as the outletfrom the meter by a longitudinal passage, (not shown iu the drawi11g,) so that Athis chamber will serve as an air-chamber, and, being in communication with the outlet of the meter, will compensate for any slight irregularity in the tlow of the liquid at the moment of vchanging the valve.

H3 is the arm which communicates motion te the registering mechanism, which latter may be of any ordinaryor suitable character, and requires no description.

Instead of the springs N, one might apply a tilting weight or other analogous substitute;

but this would so increase the size as to make it unwieldy and iinpracticable; and,'instead of' a piston with space within for play before striking H1, I can use, withy some success, a

diaphragm with the lever Hl fixed thereto and allowed to play in the junction of the arm H2 with the lever K 5 but I much prefer the entire construction as shown.

I claim- 1. The hollow piston with open center and adjustable nuts B b, to act on the lever Hl, as and for the purposes described.

2. The snap-lever K, spring or springs N, and lever Hl H2, operated by the moving piece or piston B, which receives the pressure of (and by its motion measures) the water, substantially as herein set forth.

3. rlhe cylinder A, hollow piston B, chambers C C', valve E, and ports F Fl F2, in combination with each other and with the lever K, bracket A', springs N, and lever Hl H2, and arranged to operate as and for the purposes described.l Y

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name in presence ot two subscribing witnesses.

THOS. B. FOGARTY. 

